Friends recall Shiner crash victim as honest, hard-working man

Funeral information

• Service: Noon Saturday at United Dr. Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Shiner

• Burial: Following the service at Bluebonnet Cemetery

• Memorial contributions: Given to New Jerusalem Baptist Church

The young Shiner man who died in a crash Wednesday morning will be remembered by family and friends as a loving son, a good friend and a motivated man.

Dexter Mayberry, 23, died after a one-vehicle wreck on state Highway 95 southbound. He was just north of Shiner when he veered into the northbound lane, over-corrected and overturned his vehicle, a 2003 Ford Sport Trac pickup, according to a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Public Safety.

"For the rest of my life, I will miss him. I am 49-years-old and I have met a lot of men, but I have never met one like my son," said Mayberry's father, Bruce Mayberry. "He was strong. He had a positive attitude about everything. That's my boy . Dexter was my heart. And I'm going to miss him."

Bruce Mayberry said his son was a straight-A graduate from Shiner High School and he and his wife were very proud of him.

Trey Lawrence, currently superintendent for Shiner Independent School District, was Mayberry's principal in high school and also coached him in Little League baseball.

"What I remember most about Dexter is that he was very honest. He was an honest kid," Lawrence said, remembering times with Mayberry.

Lawrence said Mayberry was very athletic, and one of his fondest memories is coaching him as a 13-year-old in the All-Star game.

Bruce Mayberry said his son wanted to save enough money to attend college and become an X-ray technician. He also wanted to raise roping and cutting horses and one day get married to have a family of his own.

Mayberry was working at Werner's Restaurant in Shiner as a caterer and also as a pusher in the oil fields for Joey Werner in Shiner.

Robert Werner, owner of Werner's, said even although Mayberry had only worked at the restaurant for six months, he had known Mayberry for years.

"Dexter was a very big young man in size, but he was pretty soft-hearted," Werner said. "He tried real hard to please most people. And he really wanted, every time he went on a job with us, he really wanted to do a good job to please the customer."

Mayberry was returning from spending time with friends in Moulton about 3 a.m. Wednesday when he crashed, his father said.

"He was a very loving and giving person," Bruce Mayberry said. "The best thing I could say, to sum it all up, is if I could do it all over again and had a million kids to choose from, I would choose him."